(1) Field of the Invention
THIS INVENTION relates to a modular access flooring system which may be laid over a load-bearing base floor in a building to create a space in which wires, cables and pipes may be laid.
(2) Prior Art
Many types of access flooring systems have been developed to accommodate the electrical wiring and other utility services found in modern office environments. Examples of these are disclosed in GB No. 1236484, DE No. 2043633 and DE No. 2107898 (all by Central Flooring Ltd.) DE No. 2328179 (Staeger); DE No. 2348764 (Goldbach GmbH); DE No. 2900759 (Marbeton); EP No. 0142997 (Taisei Corporation); AT No. 369090 (Voest-Alpine); U.S. Pat. No. 2867301 (Benton); U.S. Pat. No. 3318057 (Norsworthy) and U.S. No. 4279109 (Madl).
None of these systems have proved satisfactory. Installation is slow and laborious as the pedestals must be fixed to the base floor in carefully spaced arrangements to ensure the correct relationship of the floor panels and the pedestals must be adjusted in height to accommodate any variations in the base floor. The panels are prone to rock or tilt as loads move over them and the pedestals must be realigned if the base floor should settle or move. The steel components in the pedestals and grid frames can cause electrical interference in the electrical wires and cables.
Other specific problems arise in each of the known systems.